Elle Fanning was floated as plenty of fans’ choice to play Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Elle Fanning found it “daunting” being ‘fancast’ as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
The 28-year-old actress hopes she can make fans happy with her take on the younger version of Elizabeth Banks’ character after she was repeatedly brought up as an ideal choice for the role.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: “This franchise is what it is because of the fans, and so because of that, when they’re like, ‘Oh, we would love Elle to play Effie,’ of course it’s daunting because you want to do them justice and make them proud.
“And I hope when the film comes out that they feel like they made the right choice,” she beamed.”
Fanning revealed she has been in touch with Banks over text, and got her “blessing” to put her own spin on the part.
She added: “She is so unbelievably kind and so talented and just an incredibly generous person. And she really wanted me to have fun.
“She was like, ‘I want you to have as much fun as I did getting to play her. I give you my blessing, make her your own.’ And so that gave me the confidence.”
Mckenna Grace, who has been cast as Maysilee Donner in the movie, had a similar experience.
The 20-year-old star told THR: “I think that what eased some of the pressure was the fact that people seemed to respond mostly nicely to my casting, which is not always the case.
“That meant so much to me that the fanbase liked me as Maysilee because I was like, ‘I don’t even know if I like myself as Maysilee! How am I gonna do this justice?’
“Like, taking on something like this in a franchise that I care so deeply about and a character that means everything to me. It’s been so daunting and insane.”
Grace noted that often if an actor is fancast in a role “it doesn’t end up working out”, and she was convinced it would count against her.
She explained: “Usually whenever you’re fancast, I find that it doesn’t end up working out, so I always get terrified. I’m like, ‘No, the casting directors are gonna see this and they’re not gonna hire me!’
“But I think [director] Francis [Lawrence], I don’t know if he pays attention to those things, but he’s tuned in to what the fans love [and] he’s always going to pick whoever he sees [as the] best fit for the role.
“And so I’m just so thankful that he even watched my tape, let alone that he hired me, and now I’m at the premiere and promoting it and I’m in The Hunger Games!”
Elle Fanning admits being fancast in Hunger Games is ‘daunting’
